Vilene Spunbond CS500 and polyester organza decorated with painted Bondaweb then zapped with a heat gun and ripped apart. Hot, New Jewelled Surfaces was the workshop and it was a local group for a change - Context. A great group of ladies - we had 14 for the workshop. The main idea of the workshop is to teach the safe use of heat tools. Irons, heat guns and soldering irons while having a thoroughly good time  The group getting down to work with the painted Bondaweb.     Busy girls and a very busy table . . .      Oh dear - there were some absolutely delicious cakes.MMmmmmm!! We were working with painted Bondaweb and Vilene Spunbond/Lutradur and of course all manner of sparkles. The group really enjoyed cutting out shapes with a soldering iron. This process is basically cutting shapes for bonded applique. In this case, as we are using synthetic fabrics, once the Bondaweb has been applied to the back of the fabric ...

Layered Vilene Spunbond applique cut with a soldering iron and ironed onto Pelmet Vilene light (black). This time last week I was being mobbed at the Exeter show - my goodness it was busy - at times it was like being at the NEC. It was great to see many of the ladies I had taught on my 'tour' in June in Devon and Cornwall. I had very little time to play on the stand but I did manage to get these samples done ready for Ally Pally next week. I love working with synthetics and a soldering iron - I love the 'oozzy' melting feeling you get as you cut. I was also visited by this lady who I met when I was teaching in Spain at the Castanea Studios. castanea-craft-courses.com She was doing a beading course with Jane Sadgrove who was teaching in the other studio. I have of course completely forgotten her name - but we all had such good fun at the studios.This lovely lady co-ordinated beautifully with the purple stands and carpet at the show. She always dyes...

  Rachel's torn, printed and stitched papers I had a great weekend with my ExTex group. I had missed them. I am very much enjoying teaching an ongoing course again. To see the progression of each student is very exciting and rewarding. It reminds me why I trained to be a teacher. The fifth weekend of the course is a mixture of weave, knit and felt. It is always great fun teaching basic processes. When you work with basic, simple processes, your brain has a chance to get involved and excited -  making it's own connections between materials and techniques.  We started the weekend with looking at homework - the group had been asked to stitch into their torn and printed papers. There was some fabulous work.   A detail of Rachel's piece showing her beautiful stitch.       Val's collage . . .    . . . and a detail of some of her very sensitive stitch. Once we had discussed the homework we got on with feltma...